That Lived Within The Heart of Me
by LisaDouglas
Summary: Isobel finds herself in a unlikely love triangle when she and her young son come to live at Downton after the death of her husband. Isobel/Lord Merton, Isobel/Clarkson and a little bit of Chelsie


Ch 1- A New Home

"I know you're afraid Lad, but we're going to be late." Isobel soothed, getting on her knees and opening the door to the small cubby under the staircase where she knew her small son was hiding.

Five-year-old Matthew Crawley tilted his head, looking back confused at his mother.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To a place called Downton."

"Downton." He considered carefully.

"Yes. You have some cousins there. We're to live with them now."

"Why?" The boy didn't understand.

Isobel said nothing and just took his tiny hands in her own and kissed them.

"To help Mummy take care of you." She lied. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh but Mummy you do a good job caring for me by yourself."

She blushed, looking down, hoping that was true. It certainly would have to be.

"Come on my love I know you're afraid. Mummy is too."

"She is!" He gasped.

"Yes, but with you by my side, my big, brave boy, I know we can conquer anything together, you and I." She said, rubbing her nose against his. He smiled deeply.

"Okay Mummy. I'll come with you."

Isobel smiled and placed her son on her hip. The two were quiet as they walked toward the door, both knowing they were bidding the now furniture-less place a farewell. She was bitterly sad; it'd been the home she'd shared with a husband she loved, and in Matthew's case, it'd been the only home he'd ever known.

"Farewell house." He said quietly, blowing a kiss.

"Farewell house. We'll see you again some day." Isobel did the same.

She was happy to be renting the e house out; not selling it, and hoped that once she got back on her feet she and her son would be able to return.

Matthew was scared and sat on his mother's lap at least part of the way to Yorkshire before falling asleep. She kissed and cuddled him as he snored. He was her only piece left of Reginald and he sounded just like him when he slept.

She surveyed her boy carefully, running her fingers through his blonde hair as she carefully considered their options. She didn't know much about Lord and Lady Grantham, other than that they were cousins of her late husband, or rather he was. They were a relatively newly married couple, she an American, and they were expecting their first child within a few months time.

She wondered why they'd written when Reginald died and asked to take her in. truthfully, the Doctor's widow was surprised they'd noticed his death, and acknowledged her at all. So far she was blown away by their generosity and at once, suspicious. What could they want with her and her boy?

…..

"Are you sure this is a good time to have so many guests in the house?" Cora asked as she, her husband and a host of the servants stepped out into the home's driveway.

Cora was tired, very pregnant, and sick of her home being a revolving door for various guests that her husband had seen fit to invite over the past several months. She didn't want so many strange people in the house when the baby, her first, arrived and that would be very soon.

"It's just a cousin, and Dickie Merton. Why not have him here, we were going to ask him to be godfather."

"Yes, but with a new baby I don't know how much we should be entertaining. Perhaps this Mrs. Crawley is an exception; after all she is family."

"Actually, I've never met her, just her late husband once or twice, nice chap, a doctor if you could imagine that." He chuckled, finding it odd he was related to a doctor.

"Uh-huh." Cora glared at him out of the side of her eye, not believing he was bringing someone into their home, to live, that he'd never met. "Robert?"

"Hmm?"

"What compelled you to…to do this?"

"First off, if she married him I know she must be a wonderful person." Robert only knew his cousin faintly, but understood this to be true. "He'd written about her once, and she sounded entirely lovely. Second there's his boy. And third, third they have nothing now."

"Oh dear." Cora frowned, having realized this part.

"Five, you need an ally don't you? I mean when it comes to combatting Mother?"

"I don't know if I want to say _combating_ exactly but…"

At this time, Cora and Violet were not enemies but they were not the best of friends either.

"Well perhaps Cousin Isobel is one such person. And the baby could have someone to play with too."

"Robert he'll be five years older."

"Well, eventually. Carson?"

"Yes m'lord."

"The carriage that's coming." He said, gesturing toward the carriage they saw in the faint distance. "Do you suppose its Cousin Isobel or Lord Merton?"

"I wouldn't know, m'lord. But either way it will be nice to have the house full again."

"Yes it will." Robert smiled, agreeing with his butler's sentiment.

Cora gave an exasperated sigh, frustrated with both of them.

Truthfully, Carson was just hopeful that it wasn't the carriage he was waiting for. They were rather short-staffed downstairs and he was in the process of hiring a new housekeeper, the old one having fled her post with very little notice. In fact, he considered it no notice. The new one was arriving today and although they'd not met yet, he had high hopes for her. He hoped that unlike the last two, this Miss Hughes would stay around for a long while, perhaps as long as he and Mrs. Patmore.

Robert felt similarly about the arrival of this Cousin Isobel and her son Matthew. Truthfully, he felt he was doing more in bringing them here than just trying to give a widow and a fatherless child a home. In some way, he knew he was bringing in back up. There was no way of knowing if their baby was a boy, or a girl, only that it was a baby. He knew there would be several in their time and was sure it wouldn't be a problem….but just in case, he needed an heir. Why not a boy such as this?

"Wake up darling." Isobel encouraged gently.

Matthew stirred from his place on his mother's lap, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Look there." She pointed down low where no one could see.

The boy's eyes grew wide at the sight of this big abbey called Downton. He'd never seen anything like it and although not particularly enchanted, he was amazed.

"That's your new home." His mother whispered.

"Wow." She heard him mumble under his breath.

Isobel was about to say something when she heard another carriage come up swiftly behind them.

"Oh, look at that." Robert said to his wife. "They're both here at the same time."

"They're both here at the same time, and both recently widowed." Cora pointed out, raising an eyebrow. She didn't think it was like her husband to match make, but had wondered for a while if he was.

"And so they are." He smiled.


End file.
